


Alex Returns Home

by Friendsfanfourever



Category: Family Ties (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:42:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25026379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Friendsfanfourever/pseuds/Friendsfanfourever
Summary: Alex's first year in New York is coming to a close. He returns home and an is met with an unexpected surprise that will change his life and future forever.
Kudos: 1





	1. A Year In New York

** July 1990 **

As he pulled his car into his parents’ driveway at the dawn of night after a gruelling 9 hour drive from New York City and sighed as the engine quieted down. He checked himself in the mirror adjusting his hair making sure he did not look dishevelled. The past year had not gone exactly as planned but it was nice to be back home in Ohio.

He knocked on the door and felt a sense of relief as Elyse opened the door and gave him a big hug. “Alex it’s so good to see you, come in it’s getting warm inside. Everyone Alex is home!” Elyse shouted as the rest of the family gathered in the living room. Not much had changed since he visited last at Christmas time.

Everyone was happy to see Alex again and Andy ran up to him and gave Alex a big hug. Alex smiled and returned the hug “It’s nice to see you again Andy, we’ll have to catch a Reds game while I am home, I can drive us down to Cincinnati”

“Yes! I can’t wait” Andy said in excitement as he high fived Alex which made Alex smile for the first time that day.

“Alex, I have some leftover meatloaf if you’re hungry in the kitchen” Elyse said holding Alex’s arm not wanting to let go. She enjoyed having him home.

Mallory and Steve were in the kitchen playing cards when they saw Alex walk in, Mallory waved while Steve gave his son a firm handshake and a hug.

“It’s nice to see you again Alex, how have things been in the big apple? Met any girls yet?” he said as a proud father of his sons’ accomplishments

“It’s going alright works been stressful especially with the economy slowing, I’ve been on the phone non-stop with clients trying to reassure them that everything is going to be ok, but people are worried. I even turned off my pager for the day to relax. I’ve been on a few dates but none of them have stuck around.” He said disappointed in himself. Trying to lighten the mood he changed the topic “how have things been here? You’re still on a reduced schedule dad? Mom sounded worried on the phone you were trying to pick up shifts?”

Elyse and Andy walked in to listen to the conversation since cartoon hour was over and it was approaching his bedtime. Since Alex was here though it was a special occasion and Andy was allowed to stay up.

Steven responded hesitantly making sure to choose his words carefully. “Things have been going good, Jen is excited to start high school in the fall and she is actually at work now at the grocery store, should be home soon. I’m still on medically reduced workload on advice of my doctor but I think it’s a little overboard. Andy is good as you know, and Mallory just graduated college…” he stopped there letting Mallory chime in

“Alex I finally graduated! It only took an extra year, but I am done at Grant College and have my fashion degree. I’m working at Kohl’s… you know that, but I recently got promoted and am head of the clothes/fashion department!” the excitement in her voice was easy to tell as she couldn’t stop smiling. “I might move in with Nick also”

“That’s the first we’ve heard of that” Elyse said nervously

“Well discuss it another time” Steven said trying to redirect the conversation to a less controversial topic

“It’s time for you to go to bed Andy” Elyse said holding his hand genteelly to take him to his room

“I don’t want to go to bed, I want to play with Alex!” he protested

“It’s okay Andy, I’m home for the next few days, we’ll spend lots of time together it’ll be great!” Alex said trying to reassure his brother.

The rest of the family took it as a sign to say goodnight to each other and head to bed themselves. Alex lied in bed not able to get to sleep his mind racing. Jen had long arrived home from work and gone to bed. He made a mental note to make sure to talk to his younger sister tomorrow. He heard a knock at the door

“Come in” he said a little groggy as the long day had taken its toll

Mallory walked in

“Hey Alex, hope I’m not disturbing you just wanted to talk” she said as she sat at the end of his bed.

Alex being protective and understanding as always forced himself to sit up “No worries Mallory I’m always here to talk. Having trouble sleeping anyway as it is”

Mallory bit her lip nervous to start talking but finally relented “Nick and I want to move into together, but I feel like dad and mom won’t approve. I mean I’m an adult I can make my own decisions.”

“Mal you know mom and dad want the best for you right? I mean you are right; you are an adult and can make your own choices. I think you and Nick are great together” he smiled at the thought happy to see his sister happy. “If you and Nick want to move into together, I say go for it! Nick will make a great mechanic and Jen was telling me that he fixed her car and it runs like brand new”

Mallory was happy to have someone to talk to and smiled back at Alex. “It’s nice to have you home and have someone who I can talk to, You’re a great brother Alex.” She looked over at his bedside puzzled. “What’s that in the bottle?”

“It’s anti-anxiety medication.” Alex said ashamed but decided to explain “I’ve had my pay cut 10% and my number of clients as well as my workload has doubled. My investment house is downsizing as the economy gets weaker. I’ve been pulling 8-10-hour days since January and this is my first vacation of the year. A well deserved one.” He stopped realizing he revealed too much. “I like my job and please don’t tell mom or dad. They have enough to worry about.”

“I understand” Mallory said nodding in agreement. There brother sister relationship had only grown stronger throughout the years. “Alex I actually have great news… remember your girlfriend Ellen from Leland University?” she barely stopped hence Alex could not reply “well she is back home from Paris, single, just finished her first year as a kindergarten teacher and works at my Kohl’s as a cashier part-time! Want me to set you guys up on a date? I’ll call her tomorrow”

For the first time that day minus the coffee Alex perked up. “That’s great news, I haven’t been really trying at the dating game since she left for Paris except for Lauren. I’m only in town for a few days but I can squeeze in a date with Ellen tomorrow night, let her know! Thanks, Mal, I owe you one” Alex said happy as can be.

“Goodnight Alex”

“Goodnight Mallory”


	2. It's Nice To See You Again

** July 1990 **

Alex adjusted in the ballpark washroom mirror his vest getting ready to take Andy home after going to the Reds baseball game. He was nervous trying to make it back in time for his date with Ellen. Just thinking about her name brought perspiration to his hands and made his mind foggy, the 90-degree weather didn’t help either.

Andy appeared by his side “ready to go Alex?” he said finishing his hot dog

“Yeah let’s go” Alex said checking his watch and running his hand through his hair, he took Andy by the hand and started on a light jog trying to reach his car in the parking lot.

As they were heading up the expressway towards Columbus Alex was pushing 20-30 miles ahead of the speed limit, he kept checking the time frantically.

“That was quite a game and what a way to finish with a home run” Alex said trying to ease his mind and talk to Andy

“Yeah it was awesome, I can’t wait to go again” he said excited. “Why are you going so fast Alex?”

“I have a date with a girl tonight and I don’t want to be late”

“That’s exciting but you really should slow down, I don’t like when cars go fast except for my hot wheels” Andy replied getting more nervous. Alex seeing how worried he was beginning to slow down but saw police lights behind him and pulled over.

The officer knocked on the window of the vehicle “Licence and registration please, you realize you were going 15-20 miles over the limit. Mr. Keaton.”

“Sorry officer, I just took my little brother to a Reds baseball game and I have a date tonight” Alex realized it was better to be honest with the officer

The officer laughed and handed Alex a ticket for $500. “Have a good date” the officer said before he went back to his car

“Thanks sir” Alex said before he pulled back onto the expressway.

“Always be nice to the police, they can make your day a whole lot worse.” Alex said to Andy trying to teach him a life lesson. Realizing that he hadn’t gotten alone time with Andy for awhile he decided to continue the conversation “How have things been with you Andy enjoying school, what’s your favourite class been?”

“Yeah it’s been good, I’m enjoying art class, my teacher said that I could go to art school one day if I keep it up” he said mimicking a paint brush.

“That’s good, I bet mom and dad are enjoying having a creative son for a change” Alex teased laughing at himself.

“I’ll have to show you some drawings over the next few days” Andy said excited to show is older brother his talent. “Thanks for taking me to the ball game”

As they pulled into the driveway Alex ran in and brushed his teeth and waved goodbye to his family as he started the car and raced off to see Ellen at the Italian restaurant.

As he pulled up to the restaurant, he calmed himself down from the nervous, excitement that was building up inside him. He ended up being early and sat down at his table that he reserved. He ordered a water and popped a few mints in his mouth as Ellen walked in… she was stunning, and he was stunned. She was wearing a yellow dress with a pink skirt.

“Alex, it’s been awhile” Ellen joked as they hugged and sat down. Alex’s worries melted away when they sat down.

“It sure has, you look great, how’ve you been?” Alex said is mouth turning dry as his speaking quickened as he was overcome with emotion and memories from 5 years ago.

They ordered a shared garlic bread appetizer, and both got the meat lasagna.

“I’ve been good Alex; Paris was wonderful I got to express my arts side through paintings and meet amazing people. I was there for about 3 years and my fondest memories is traveling through the wine region, I’ve never been prouder and more embarrassed at the same time. It’s hard to earn a living trying to sell art, especially when you are not well known. I asked my father for a loan and he offered it to me on the condition that I return home and make a living for myself. I got my 2-year teachers’ degree and got to teach my passion as an arts teacher as well as kindergarten at Leland Elementary. I work at Kohl’s part time at cash to help pay down my remaining student loans. That’s a quick synopsis of my life for the past 5ish years” she looked down at her shoes in disappointment. Alex comforted her by squeezing her leg.

“That’s great Ellen, you should be really proud of yourself, not many people can say that they followed their passion and got to travel to Europe. Teaching is a great way to educate the next generation as well as continue your interest in the arts”

She looked up and smiled at Alex feeling calmer. “Alex, I have an ex-boyfriend in Paris that I still keep in touch with, we’re just friends. When Mallory set up this date, I was hesitant, and I just wanted to let you know before we go any further.” She said looking deep into his eyes to gage a reaction but there was none, at least none that she was expecting.

“It’s no worry Ellen, if your just friends then I have no problems with that”

“Good, it’s in the past. So how have things been with you Alex, making millions on Wall Street yet?”

Alex blushed “Not yet but someday hopefully I will. Things have been good I graduated from Leland, moved to New York and took a job on Wall Street at an internship in the wealth management department, the internship went great, but they didn’t have room in the budget to hire me. I ended up moving to a New York savings and loan company as a personal financial advisor/mortgage broker. I’m sure you’ve read the news about these companies. Anyway, I’ve made an impression on my boss so even with downsizing I’ve stayed on. But the workload is intense, my client load as grown from 500 clients to 1,000 clients and they just are getting angrier and angrier out of fear for their money.” He said exhausted just thinking about the number of pages and messages he would have to respond to when he got back.

“That’s terrible Alex, you poor thing” she squeezed his hand which calmed him down.

“Thanks Ellen, enough about me and my problems. You said you teach kindergarten and art at Leland. You happen to know my younger brother Andy who’s a student there?”

“Andy Keaton is your younger brother? I should have clued in not many Keaton’s around here. He really has the art streak going, great work. I actually got him to join up for the art’s club at our school. He sold a few pieces of landscape drawings. It’s amazing for a 4th grader.” she pulled out a copy of his drawing of the Ohio river

Alex stared at it in amazement “It really is great stuff, what style of art is this? Contemporary? I never really took an interest in art” Alex said remembering his grade, a C which was his lowest for any class ever.

“Well technically it’s modern contemporary but close enough for a business major” Ellen teased back

Their meals arrived and they started to feast into the hearty meat lasagna.

“Alex I’m surprised you have not mentioned politics or Bush at all yet. It’s really surprising, something change? Did Bush offend you?” Ellen mocked him; they were never on the same side politically.

Alex cleared his throat caught off guard and not wanting to derail their evening he took a second to respond while Ellen was starring at him. “It’s just that my dad had a heart attack a few years back and I know that talking politics caused him stress especially with me. So, I’ve been trying to keep my opinions to myself. He’s okay and doing great but you never know with the heart.” She looked mortified. “It’s okay Ellen it’s a fair question.”

“I’m so sorry Alex I had no idea.”

“It’s water under the bridge, I’m glad you asked because it would have come up eventually”

As they wrapped up their meals and paid their waiter they went outside of the restaurant. Ellen had a shift at Kohl’s that night.

“It was great seeing you again Ellen, we should do this again, does tomorrow work? I’m only in town for another day before I head back to New York.” Alex said as he got out a notepad writing down his number

“Alex it was great, I’m busy tomorrow I’ve actually reconnected with my father and we are going to myrtle beach for the week to visit relatives.” Ellen looked apologetic as she adjusted her purse

“That’ll be fun, your dad will have a blast golfing, lots of great courses down there.” Alex started to freeze up as he frantically finished writing down his phone number, not wanting this to be the last time he would see Ellen Reed.

“Yeah it should be fun, I might even try to convince him to take us to Disney for a few days while we are down there. I have younger cousins who would really enjoy it. I better go since my shift starts in 30 minutes.”

Alex woke up from his panic attack and handed Ellen the piece of paper. “Here’s my number for my apartment in New York. I have voicemail so don’t worry leave a message.” Alex said as he hugged her and squeezed her tight.

“Thanks Alex, I’m actually living at home, so you have my number from 5 years ago” she said as they left the embrace.

“Have a goodnight Ellen” he hollered as she drove out of the parking lot

“Goodnight Alex” she waved at him sitting on his trunk.

He got home and pulled into the driveway feeling great. He strutted into the house in a chipper good.

“Hey Alex!” Jen said as she ran up to him

“Hey Jen, it’s great to see you again” he said as they high fived

“You’re in a chipper mood, I guess your date with Ellen went well”

“You could say that, I guess Mallory told you.” Alex said fidgeting with his pocket.

“Since you’ve left for New York we’ve become the gossip society of Leland and mom and dad finally got MTV, so we watch that” Jen joked as she put down her dinner

“Hey, what are you doing with Jen” a medium sized man entered into the living room and walked up to Jen.

“It’s okay Todd, this is my brother Alex” she pushed him back before he could reach Alex

Embarrassed Todd took a step back and laughed “Sorry Alex, I’ve never met you before and you look like our age” he stopped before digging any deeper

“It’s okay Todd, I’ll take my youth as a compliment. So, you are Jen’s boyfriend?”

“Yup, didn’t know you had a dork for a brother, who wears vests over a collared shirt?”

Jen looked at him angry “Todd go to the kitchen and finish cleaning the dishes, I’ll be in to help soon”

Todd obliged and walked out of the room

“Sorry Alex, he’s a jock so he doesn’t really get along with the preppy kids like you”

Alex still processing everything mumbled “it’s fine Jen, he seems like a nice guy”

“I better go help him”

“Jen I’m heading to bed and if I don’t see you tomorrow one thing, I want you to know is that to look out for yourself.” He said sternly and quietly so Todd couldn’t hear.

“Understood” Jen said as they hugged and went their separate ways.

Alex went into his room and got out his journal. He found writing the events of the day to be relaxing and also a nice memento for his future self. He smiled as he replayed his date with Ellen. He was disappointed that he was unable to continue to see her for now. 

Elyse walked in

“Hey Alex, how’d your date go with Ellen? Dad’s just doing his PBS telethon tonight if your wondering where he is. Andy told me that he had a lot of fun at the ball game with you. Thanks for taking him and don’t worry about the speeding ticket I got it covered.” She said as she sat down on his bed.

“Thanks Mom, the date went well, Ellen’s heading to Myrtle Beach so we exchanged numbers so we can keep in touch. I didn’t know she taught at Andy’s school either, it’s nice to see Andy finding something he likes.” Alex said relaxing

“I didn’t know Ellen taught there either, he always calls his art teacher Mrs. Red, so I didn’t know it was Ellen Reed.” ” she laughed at how close the names were She is his favourite teacher, are you all packed up to go for tomorrow?“

“I’m good to go, sorry I didn’t spend more time with you guys it just got busy with taking Andy to the game and the date with Ellen.”

“It’s okay Alex there is always next time, me and your father were so excited when Mal told us about the date. You two were so perfect for each other. It really hurt us to see how upset you were when she left for Paris, it’s nice you’ve reconnected” She said fondly remembering the excitement of her sons first true love. “Have a safe drive in the morning, I love you Alex, goodnight” she kissed his forehead

“Goodnight Mom” Alex responded as she shut the door and turned out the lights.


	3. Day At The Beach

** July 1990 **

Alex was finishing up a call with a client and finished filling in the client’s paperwork for their mortgage applications. “Thanks very much for your time Mr. and Mrs. Cork, I’ll send these off for review, have a good night and enjoy your weekend. Be in touch” he said as the call ended. Loan volumes had been down for the past couple of quarters at the S&L hence every call mattered. He checked the time at his desk and noticed it was 5:30pm. He realized he was the only one left at the office except for his boss Mr. Leerman.

“Hey Alex, what are you doing here so late on a Friday night?” his boss asked pleasantly bemused. Most workers would have headed out to their cottages in the Hamptons or Long Island, at least the senior level employees.

“Just finishing up my last-minute mortgage applications for my clients Josh, any clients that call you make sure you can fit them in… especially in this environment” Alex said finally letting his guard down for the first time that day.

“You know Alex you’ve only been here for about 8 months now, but you’ve really left an impression on me. A positive impression by the way. You’re always working hard and even in this economy you’re still managing an impressive number of clients. It’s Friday night and I know you’re new to the city and probably don’t have any plans, would you want to go out for dinner… as co-workers” he emphasized the last part

“That would be great actually, the only plans I have for tonight were watching Wall Street Week” Alex said embarrassed

“Great I’ll call a cab now, meet you downstairs” Josh said as he headed down the steps

Alex went to his desk and cleaned up before grabbing his briefcase and closing the door for the weekend. They made small talk in the cab before arriving at the Greek restaurant and ordered a med combo.

“Thanks for taking me out” Alex said showing his appreciation towards his boss

“No problem, my wife is out of town with the kids for the weekend and I wasn’t going to go up until tonight. That’s the thing about marriage its nice to get some alone time. Enough about me, Alex do you have anyone in your life right now?” he asked making the conversation personal.

“Yea I do actually” just thinking about her name sent him into a giddy mood, he played with his hair before answering the question. “Her name is Ellen, we met in university but then she left for art school in Paris, but she is back now, and we’ve reconnected. She’s back in Columbus but heading down to Myrtle Beach with her father”

“Sounds like you’ve been attracted to her for quite some time” Josh replied leaning back against his chair he seemed like he had a lot on his mind and put lots of weight on every word. “Things aren’t going too well night now as you’ve probably figured out, we’re all under a lot of stress especially this month. Why don’t you take Monday off and head down to Myrtle Beach for the weekend? If you leave now you can make it in time for the morning”

Alex checked his watch and ordered a coffee to go “thanks Josh I appreciate that, and I’ll take you up on your offer. Have a good weekend and I’ll see you on Tuesday” Alex said grabbing his things and racing to his car

“See you Alex, good luck with Ellen” Josh said giving his thumbs up for approval

Alex drove the 10 hours through the night drinking 2 cups of coffee in order to focus and stay awake on the road. As he arrived in Myrtle beach in the morning at 8am, he got a hotel room off the strip and got breakfast. He pulled into the house that Ellen’s dad had rented for the summer now that he was retired. He knocked on the door and Mr. Reed answered the door.

“Hey Alex, come on in what are you doing here?” he asked puzzled but also happy, he always had a soft spot for Alex, Alex was his favourite boyfriend of Ellen’s.

“I came here to surprise Ellen and spend the weekend together. I even brought some breakfast for her and myself.” He said excited at the fun weekend they had planned.

“Ellen’s actually cooking breakfast for herself, I’m going golfing today with some friends, but Ellen is spending some time at the beach with her friends from the book club. I would imagine you could tag along.” 

“That would be great, since Ellen’s making breakfast, I’ll let you have her breakfast that I bought her. It’s not fun golfing on an empty stomach.” Alex said holding out the bag

Mr. Reed gladly took the bag “Thanks Alex, saves me $5 on breakfast from McDonald’s and is probably healthier. Have a wonderful day and we’ll see you at dinner.” He said leaving the house with his clubs.

Alex quietly stepped into the kitchen and walked up to Ellen and gave her a hug. She hadn’t noticed him focusing in on her cooking that she turned around and spilt egg yolk all over Alex’s t-shirt.

“Alex” she said in shock but also amusement. “I’m so happy to see you, but gosh you scared me, Sorry about the yoke” she said giggling as she wiped off the yoke from his shirt.

“No problem Ellen to be honest it’s just a $5 t-shirt that I bought at Walmart, no yokes about it.That didn’t go as planned but I’m happy to see you too Ellen and I’m glad you’re happy to see me as well” Alex said as he sat down and they started eating breakfast.

Ellen laughed at the joke and kissed him on the cheek, Alex blushed forgetting that they were girlfriend and boyfriend again “What are your plans for the day? Your dad said that your are meeting friends at the beach?”

“Yeah we are meeting my friends at the beach, Vanessa and Todd, it’ll actually be a couple’s date now which should be fun”

“That’s great Ellen, I better go have a shower and brush my teeth before we head out, 10-hour drive’s are not good for the body’s hygiene.”

They finished cleaning up and headed out towards the beach in Alex’s 1985 Ford Escort and pulled into the beach where Vanessa and Todd were standing their waving. Venessa had on a purple bikini while Todd had on a grey muscle shirt and blue swim trunks. 

“Vanessa and Todd, it’s so great to see you, this is my boyfriend Alex” she introduced him

“Nice to meet you Alex” they both said returning his handshake. They headed down towards the beach and set up towels. They played beach volleyball for awhile as Todd got competitive and kept playing until him and Vanessa won.

“Good game Alex but you’re no match for me and Vanessa we’ve been practicing and might even join the US national team. Hopefully we get on” Todd said as he gave Alex a friendly push.

Alex grimaced as he realized that his arm had gotten sunburnt. He made a note to put sunscreen on before they got back from lunch. Deciding to be friendly and cordial with his new friends he mellowed out. “Yeah good game, me and Ellen can go grab some lunch since we lost, what do you guys want?”

“I’ll have a Greek salad and an Evian water” Vanessa stated

“I’ll have a grilled chicken burger with a strawberry milkshake” Todd said

“Got it” Ellen said she wrote down their orders on a piece of paper and stuck it into her purse.

As they walked to the stand Ellen spoke up “Alex I know how competitive you are so I appreciate you being humble back their, besides I like Vanessa and Todd, but they can be a little snobby sometimes. Especially Todd” She said in voice that let Alex into an almost secret of hers.

They returned with the food and spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach playing volleyball and swimming as well as just tanning in the sun. As they headed back to their cars for the night to say their goodbyes they stopped.

“Hey, it was nice to meet you Alex, what do you do for a living by the way?” Vanessa said

“I’m a personal financial adviser and mortgage agent at a savings and loan in New York City” Alex said with pride before adding on “here’s my business card if you need anything related to finances or mortgages, I’ll be happy to help.”

Todd laughed and said rudely “I don’t think you’re a very good banker considering your driving a 5-year-old ford escort” he snickered

Vanessa shot Todd a look and he slapped Alex’s arm “I was just joking buddy no big deal, but I work for a non-profit and I am driving a Lexus”

“No big deal, besides in the city there’s no need for a car so why waste the money” Alex said unapologetically

“That’s a great point” Vanessa added trying to smooth the tensions

“Well we better get going before my dad gets home, we have to make some burgers for him and his buddies” Ellen checked her watch “It was great to see you again Todd and Vanessa” she said hugging them both as Alex followed suit. They headed back to the car giggling about what had happened that day.

“What do Todd and Vanessa do anyways?” Alex asked as they pulled into the driveway

“They work at their parents golf club/resort and also do activist charity work at Greenpeace” Ellen said rolling her eyes. “Never had to worry about things and it’s made them a tad snobby as I told you earlier”

“No hard feelings it’s just the way some people are, besides it is a good thing that they are friendly and having money is not a bad thing” Alex touched on the main points

“You sure have matured Alex, living in the city sure has humbled you” Ellen noted

They went in and made burgers for her dad and his friends who were playing cards in the basement. They spent the rest of the evening watching _Pretty Woman_ at the theater before calling it a night. Ellen got Alex set up in his room.

“Thanks for surprising me this weekend Alex, it gets a little boring down here myself since me and my dad don’t have a lot in common, so I appreciate your company” Ellen said

“No problem Ellen, I like you and spending time with you.” Before Alex could finish Ellen leaned in and kissed him. It was the perfect ending to a not so perfect day.


End file.
